For me, what really sets the French Connection chase apart from all others is it actually moves the story forward. It’s not just a 10 minute interlude of gratuitous crunching metal and explosions. Bullitt might come close but it takes over the entire movie (plus they pass that green VW at least 3 times.) Maybe that’s another lesson for us – if you have use that infamous ‘world-class’ line or the latest Instagram effect, just make sure they are there for a reason.

Tim,
You’re right about it being there for a reason.
It’s a true story and the actual chase was between a cop car and a subway train.
But they couldn’t show the car and train together that way, so they changed it to an elevated train.
As you say, it’s an integral part of the story.